New safety car for 2010- and it’s the fastest ever

As the Formula 1 2010 season edges closer and closer, we have been treated to the news that the new safety car will be even better.

This year it will be a Mercedes SLS AMG, which will be launched on sale on the 27th March. It is the most powerful safety car ever, producing 420KW (57 hp) and 650nm. This means that it accelerates from 0-100km in 3.8 seconds.

“Together with the entire AMG Team, I am very proud that the new SLS AMG is the official F1 safety car. I’m sure all Mercedes and AMG fans will be excited to see the gullwing model together with the new Mercedes GP Petronas Team at the F1 circuits,” says Volker Mornhinweg, Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

The new safety car will continue to be driven by Bernd Maylander, the 38-year old former DTM driver from Germany. He will still be assisted by 44-year old FIA worker Peter Tibbetts, who is from the UK.

The medical car will stay the same, as a C63 AMG estate.

The point of the safety car is to guide all of the F1 cars around the circuit in hazardous conditions, like debris on the track or extreme weather conditions. The fact that the safety cars are getting faster and faster is more than just showing off. Formula 1 cars need to be going quickly enough to keep their engines cool and brakes and tyres warm, so Maylander needs to be on the pace all of the time.